The Daily Word of Righteousness

Tabernacles and the Testimony, #4

Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: (Deuteronomy 16;16—NIV)

The message of Christ in you and the spiritual fulfillment of Tabernacles has stood the test of time in my personal experience. I grow more convinced as the days go by that God has a third great work of grace for us, grace that will enable us to survive the age of moral horrors that is on the horizon.

Now I want to go on and describe to you a few of the aspects of the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles.

The Spiritual Fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles

The first idea that must be made clear to us is that there are three great major works of grace.

The first, basic salvation, is portrayed by the week of Passover.

The second, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, is symbolized by the Jewish feast of Pentecost. This is where we get the term "Pentecostal."

The third work of grace is new to most of us, although there is evidence that some saints of the past, such as A. B. Simpson of the Christian Missionary Alliance were enjoying such closeness to God.

The third work of grace is typified by the last major convocation of Israel, the feast of Tabernacles.

Included in the symbolism of Tabernacles is the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and then the feast of Tabernacles itself. These are the final three of the seven feasts of the Lord.

The Blowing of Trumpets means spiritual warfare is involved.

The Day of Atonement signifies God and His Church are to be reconciled, not just legally as in the case of the imputation of righteousness but actually, such that worldliness, lust, and self-will have been driven from our personality.

The feast of Tabernacles, during which the Israelites live in small shelters outside their homes or apartments, represents the forming of Christ in us and then the Father and the Son coming to dwell forever in that which has been formed in us.

The Kingdom of God, the fullness of salvation, occurs as we enter the final feast, the eternal residing of the Father and the Son in us. All other aspects of salvation point toward and find their significance in the final feast, the spiritual fulfillment of Tabernacles.

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23—NIV)

When we first are saved we place our trust in the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The atoning blood gives us the authority to become children of God.

After we have been sprinkled with the blood the Holy Spirit is given to us. The oil is placed on the blood, to use an Old Testament figure. The Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom and power to move toward the fullness of salvation.

The blood provides the authority. The Spirit gives the wisdom and power. But the purpose of all this is that we might become the dwelling place of God. I did not understand many of these details to begin with. They became clearer through the years.

To be continued.